A three-run eighth inning helped the KT Wiz shock the SSG Landers and advance to the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) postseason. As he has done all season, Mel Rojas Jr. delivered the deciding hit, blasting a three-run home run to give the Wiz a 4-3 lead they would not relinquish.
KT's @melrojasjr with the 8th inning 3-run home run to give the Wiz the lead as they come back and beat SSG 4-3 to advance to the wild card round vs Doosan https://t.co/ARV1DmFX2D
— Dan Kurtz (@MyKBO) October 1, 2024
The homer was Rojas’ second big fly of the game, as he also put the Wiz in front with a solo shot in the first. The Landers came back to tie the game in the third inning on a Jeong Jung-jae RBI single and took the lead in the fifth inning on another RBI single, this time from Choi Jeong. Choi would again strike in the top of the eighth with his 38th home run of the season, giving the Landers a seemingly comfortable 3-1 lead.
Facing reliever Noh Kyung-eun, Sim Woo-jun led off the bottom of the eighth with a single, forcing the Landers to bring in closer Kim Kwang-hyun for a six-out save. Kim, however, would only fan the flames, allowing a single to Kim Min-yeonk before serving up Mel Rojas Jr’s game-winning home run. Park Yeong-hyun would strike out the side in the ninth to secure the victory.
KBO 최초 5위 결정 타이브레이커 승리 !!!!
???? 케이티 위즈 5년 연속 포스트시즌 진출 ???? pic.twitter.com/rgJYsFCQ7Z— ???? (@wizyagu) October 1, 2024
It was a disappointing end to a fantastic run for the SSG Landers, who went 13-4-1 to end the regular season and force the one-game playoff. The Wiz, meanwhile, will now take on the fifth-seeded Doosan Bears in a two-game series needed to win both games to advance to the next round. Game One will start at 6:30 p.m. local time on Wednesday, while the first pitch of Game Two will be at 2:00 p.m. on Thursday.
Watch KBO games using the global streaming platform SOOP.
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